Huskies maturing throughout roller coaster season

It’s been a season full of highs and lows for the UW football program.

First came the surprisingly close game with LSU (it wasn’t as close as the 31-23 score indicated, but the Dawgs were in it until late). Then came the losing-streak-ending win over Idaho that was just convincing enough to inspire mild confidence.

Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian is hoping his players can learn from the highs and lows of this season and mature. (AP photo/Ted S. Warren)

After that, it was pandemonium after the USC victory that had fans wondering how good of a bowl game they would get. Holiday? Rose?

A little setback came with the 34-14 drubbing at Stanford that reminded everyone the Dawgs still had work to do.

That loss was followed by the epic overtime loss against Notre Dame. Washington had numerous chances to put the game away, but faltered at the end and fell, albeit in memorable fashion.

The following week, the Huskies pulled off one of those “are you kidding me?” wins against Arizona that convinced everyone they could be successful even when they didn’t play their best.

Then last week it was the talk-silencing, head-shaking, mumbling-about-what-happened loss to Arizona State that had people suddenly talking about how the bowl game was out of the question and the UW coaching staff answering questions about their, well, questionable play calling in the final minute.

Quite a ride, huh?

But through it all — through the huge upsets, the unbelievable losses and the heart-wrenching losses — the Huskies, both coaches and players, insist the experiences are helping them mature.

Maturing sometimes may sound like an excuse for a team. Such as, “Hey, I know we’re losing and killing our fan base, but look at all the maturity we’re gaining!” But with these Huskies, with where they were coming from, with how young the players are, maturity seems like a legitimate reason to be excited.

“The stuff these guys have experienced, you can’t write a book better than this,” head coach Steve Sarkisian said.

And the players are echoing the sentiment. Senior linebacker Donald Butler, the uncontested leader of the defense, said the ups and downs are helping the players grow and understand the game.

“It builds your character as a team,” Butler said. “Understanding that you have to play four quarters.”

All season, Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Nick Holt have referred to every situation as a “growing experience” or a lesson learned.

Sooner or later, that answer will no longer be acceptable as responses to questions after losses or questionable plays. But for now, the Huskies are looking at the big picture. And, if the team continues to show signs of getting better, that answer will work … at least for a while.